Watch for yachting and underwater use



Feb. 18, 1969 H. 1.. BLUM WATCH FOR YACHTING AND UNDERWATER USE Filed March 5, 1967 United States Patent 3,427,800 WATCH FOR YACHTING AND UNDERWATER USE Henry L. Blum, Besancon, France, assignor to Montres Yema S.A., Besancon, Doubs, France, a French comany p Filed Mar. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 620,427

Claims priority, applicztigri ll rance, June 30, 1966,

US. Cl. 58-126 3 Claims Int. Cl. G04b 19/26 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure is concerned with a chronometer watch intended particularly for yachting purposes and having a main' scale indicating hours and minutes, coaxial hour, minute and sweep second hands cooperating with the scale; a bezel marked with a sixty second scale and rotatable about the main scale, the bezel having an index settable with the second hand; a minute scale graduated in 30 minutes and comprising two zones of 180, one of the zones having three five minutes scales graduated thereon, two of the scales being coloured differently and the other zone having three differently coloured five minute scales; one of the zones further being marked off to provide count-down indications from the sixth to the tenth minute and the other, from the eleventh to the fifteen minute; a two-ended band cooperating with the 30 minute scale and a chronometric system for controlling the sweep second hand and the two-ended hand.

Already known are chronometers intended for particular uses, in particular for sports events or for particular professions such as aviation, diving and the like. These chronometers generally comprise a classical movement to which is added sometimes a special counter or a rotating bezel. In most cases, these timepieces are adapted to the profession of their user by means of a simple modification of the dial.

It has been shown in the case of yachtsmen that a specially designed timepiece would be necessary to synchronize with the time shift set by the race commissioners, this shift having to be of a great precision in particular at the start.

As a matter of fact, for regattas, the ideal is to cross the departure line with a. maximum speed within the sound of the cannon shot announcing the real departure, as permitted by the rules. If the boat crosses the line even a fraction of a second before the shot, the same is disqualified unless it comes back again to cross the line. The result is a considerable loss of time and often a handicap which cannot Victoriously be overcome.

To this effect, the invention seeks to remedy these drawbacks and to provide a portable, water-tight timepiece which is highly precise and which can be in perfect agreement with the official instruments of the commissioners.

The invention is concerned with a chronometer watch characterised in that it comprises a means permitting the correction of the zero point of the chronometri-c c enter seconds hand and a minute counter divided into two zones which can be used instantaneously owing to a two-ended hand.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the following description made by way of non-limiting 3,427,800 Patented Feb. 18, 1969 6 and 7 and the small center seconds hand 8, a minutes counter 9 cooperating with a central hand 10 every /sth of a second.

Furthermore, the minute counter, marked with a thirty minutes scale, largely expanded, comprises two zones of Zone 11 on the side of crown 2 has three five minute scales, two of which are coloured differently so as to check twice the five minutes granted at the beginning of the regattas, according to the international system, zone 12 opposite to the preceding one comprises three five minute portions of different colours representing three times the five minutes generally granted upon departure of regattas in certain countries. The use of either zones 11 and 12 can be effected equally by virtue of the twoheaded or two-ended hand 13.

The two heads 14 and 15, which have a different shape, refer respectively to zones 11 and 12.

The marking of dial 9 is such that it provides for count-down means 16 and 17 respectively from the sixth to the tenth minute on the side of the crown and from the eleventh to the fifteenth minute on the opposite side, representing, in the two cases, the last five minutes before departure.

In the two cases, the last minute, 18 and 19 respectively, before departure is highlighted by a coloration which warns the user to refer to hand 10 which terminates in a triangular point 20 for the count down to /sth of a second relative to the triangular index 21 of the rotating bezel 5.

At the first gun shot calling the contestants, these must immediately start the chronometer system by hearing on push-button 3, thereby starting hands 10 and 13. Inevitably, surprise causes a time lag in the placing into operation of the chronometric system and when the second shot, five minutes after the first, is heard, indicating the last five minutes before departure, it suffices to turn bezel 5 in order to bring the index 21 in front of the position occupied by extremity 20 of hand 10 at the moment of said shot. Index 21 indicates then exactly the actual zero for the last five minutes.

There is thus obtained a chronometer watch permitting the exact determination of the official instant of departure for regatas, for international rules as well as for particular regulations of certain countries.

What is claimed is:

1. In a chronometer watch intended particularly for yachting purposes; a main scale indicating hours and minutes, coaxial hour, minute and sweep second hands cooperating with said main scale; a bezel marked with a sixty second scale and rotatable about said main scale, said bezel having an index settable with said sweep second hand for zero correction, a second minute scale graduated in 30 minutes and comprising two zones each of 180; each of said two zones having three five minute scales graduated thereon; two of said scales in one of said two zones being colored differently and the other zone having three differently colored five minute scales; one

of said two zones having indicia to provide count-down indications from the sixth to the tenth minute and the other zone from the eleventh to the fifteenth minute; a two-ended hand cooperating with said 30 minute scale and means for setting said sweep second hand and said two-ended hand.

2. Watch according to claim 1, wherein said sweep second hand has a triangular point and said index of said bezel is in the form of an inverted triangle.

3. Watch according to claim 1, wherein the last minute on each of said zones is highlighted by coloration alerting the user to look at said sweep second hand.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,361,563 10/1944 Pellaton 58126 2,564,270 8/1951 MCMi1l6I1 58126 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 215,450 9/1941 Switzerland.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

10 S. A. WAL, Assistant Examiner. 

